1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensing devices and, more particularly, to an extended dispensing device for application of a bead of caulk or adhesive along hard to reach structural components. The extended dispensing device employs a repairable design with easy to replace components, interchangeable barrels to accept different caulk cartridges, and interchangeable application guides for guiding the application of a bead of caulk or adhesive along trusses, joists and other structural components.
2. Description of the Background
There are many types of conventional caulk guns all used to dispense a variety of fluid compounds including urethane, vinyl, polyester, epoxy and other plastics or resins. Some of these caulk guns are specially adapted for a particular purpose. One example of a specialty caulk gun is the extended gun that is commonly used in the roofing and flooring context. Extended caulk guns have a barrel, nozzle and cartridge that are separated from the trigger and driving mechanism by an elongated extension, thereby enabling operation of the gun at a distance from where the bead of caulk is applied. This allows an extended reach when compound must be applied to remote areas, such as overhead joists or trusses. Extended caulk guns provide great utility to the flooring and roofing industry. However, different flooring or roofing jobs present different requirements, and extended guns offer very little flexibility. For instance, a larger quart-size cartridge should be used for a longer run job to save costs and avoid frequent cartridge replacement. On the other hand, a smaller 1/10th gallon cartridge should be used for short run jobs. Otherwise, the unused portion of the cartridge goes to waste. Conventional extended guns are made to accommodate either the typical 1/4 gallon cartridges or 1/10th gallon cartridges, but not both. Since the extended caulk guns are specialty items, they are relatively expensive to purchase and it is impractical to buy two (one for the 1/4 gallon cartridge and one for the 1/10th gallon cartridge). The expense of extended guns also promotes a market for replacement and repair parts, but existing extended guns are generally not repairable. They typically use a welded and/or riveted design and make no provision for swapping out worn parts. Accordingly, there remains a demand for a more flexible extended dispensing gun in which parts are interchangeable to facilitate repair, and which is capable of accommodating at least two different-sized cartridges such as the typical 1/4 gallon cartridges and 1/10th gallon cartridges.
In addition to the above-described expense of extended guns, their length makes them difficult to maneuver because the weight of the caulk cartridge must be supported at the end of the elongate extension. It is known to mount a caulk application guide at the distal end of the barrel underneath the nozzle to support the cartridge and ensure that a bead of caulk is properly applied. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,565 to Paradiso shows an extended reach caulking gun with an application guide 24 mounted at the distal end (Paradiso FIG. 1). The guide takes the form of a U-shaped member which is screwed or riveted to the underside of the gun at the barrel end. The U-shaped guide is adapted to straddle and ride along a joist or truss thereby helping to apply the compound in a straight line and with improved accuracy. The U-shaped guide assists in applying compound along studs, rafters and other building components that call for the application of compound along a defined path. Unfortunately, the fixed span of the U-shaped guide 24 is only capable of accommodating studs of a particular size. The guide 24 cannot straddle double studs or many other types of components such as window sills or roof seams. While Paradiso '565 goes on to suggests other guide configurations (see FIGS. 5-7) to accommodate other components, these are not interchangeable and the gun cannot be easily adapted for a particular job.
Accordingly, there is also a demand for an extended gun having interchangeable guide members, inclusive of an adjustable guide member, to facilitate quick and easy adaptation for different types of jobs and for applying compound along different types of building components.